The Pearl (novella)
| First edition cover | |
| Author | John Steinbeck |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | The Viking Press & William Heinemann |
Publication date | 1947 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
The Pearl (1947) is a novella by John Steinbeck which tells the story of a poor Mexican who finds a magnificent pearl which he hopes will improve his family's life; however, he finds that his new wealth brings only corruption of the soul and the blinding luxuries of "civilized" life. Like many of Steinbeck's works, the book primarily addresses the issues of poverty, wealth, and an unjust society, particularly focusing on wealth's corrupting effect on relationships and its connection with happiness. La perla (The Pearl), a 1948 Spanish language motion picture, is based on the book.
Plot summary
Template:Spoiler Kino, Juana, and their infant son, Coyotito, live in a modest brush house by the sea. One morning, calamity strikes when a scorpion stings Coyotito. Hoping to protect their son, Kino and Juana rush him to the doctor in town. When they arrive at the doctor’s gate, they are turned away because they are poor natives who cannot pay enough. (This prejudice is not so much based on their race, as their economic standing in society.) Later that same morning, Kino and Juana take their family canoe, an heirloom, out to the estuary to go diving for pearls. Juana makes a poultice for Coyotito’s wound, while Kino searches the sea bottom. Juana’s prayers for a large pearl are answered when Kino surfaces with the largest pearl either of them has ever seen. Kino lets out a triumphant yell at his good fortune, prompting the surrounding boats to circle in and examine the treasure.
In the afternoon, the whole neighborhood gathers at Kino’s brush house to celebrate his find. Kino names a list of things that he will secure for his family with his newfound wealth, including a church wedding and an education for his son. The neighbors marvel at Kino’s boldness and wonder if he is foolish or wise to harbor such ambitions.
Toward evening, the local priest visits Kino to bless him in his good fortune and to remind him of his place within the church. Shortly thereafter, the doctor arrives, explaining that he was out in the morning but has come now to cure Coyotito. He administers a powdered capsule and promises to return in an hour.
In the intervening period, Coyotito grows violently ill, and Kino decides to bury the pearl under the floor in a corner of the brush house. The doctor returns and feeds Coyotito a potion to quiet his spasms. When the doctor inquires about payment, Kino explains that soon he will sell his large pearl and inadvertently glances toward the corner where he has hidden the pearl. This mention of the pearl greatly intrigues the doctor, and Kino is left with an uneasy feeling.
Before going to bed, Kino reburies the pearl under a stone in his fire hole. That night, he is roused by an intruder digging around in the corner. A violent struggle ensues, and Kino’s efforts to chase away the criminal leave him bloodied. Terribly upset by this turn of events, Juana proposes that they abandon the pearl, which she considers an agent of evil.
The next morning, Kino and Juana make their way to town to sell the pearl. Juan Tomás, Kino’s brother, advises Kino to be wary of cheats. Indeed, all of the dealers conspire to bid low on the pearl. Kino indignantly refuses to accept their offers, resolving instead to take his pearl to the capital. That evening, as Kino and Juana prepare to leave, Juan Tomás cautions Kino against being overly proud, and Juana repeats her wish to be rid of the pearl. Kino silences her, explaining that he is a man and will take care of things.
In the middle of the night, Juana steals away with the pearl. Kino wakes as she leaves and pursues her, apprehending her just as she is poised to throw the pearl into the sea. He tackles her, takes the pearl back, and beats her violently, leaving her in a crumpled heap on the beach. As he returns to the brush house, a group of hostile men confronts him and tries to take the pearl from him. He fights the men off, killing one and causing the rest to flee, but drops the pearl in the process. As Juana ascends from the shore to the brush house, she finds the pearl lying in the path. Just beyond, she sees Kino on the ground, next to the dead man. He bemoans the loss of the pearl, which she presents to him. Though Kino explains that he had no intention to kill, Juana insists that he will be labeled a murderer. They resolve to flee at once. Kino rushes back to the shore to prepare the canoe, while Juana returns home to gather Coyotito and their belongings.
Kino arrives at the shore and finds his canoe destroyed by vandals. When he climbs the hill, he sees a fire blazing, and realizes that his house has burned down. Desperate to find refuge, Kino, Juana and Coyotito duck into Juan Tomás’s house, where they hide out for the day. Relieved that the three did not perish in the blaze, as the rest of the neighborhood believes, Juan Tomás and his wife, Apolonia, reluctantly agree to keep Kino and Juana’s secret and provide shelter for them while pretending to be ignorant of their whereabouts.
At nightfall, Kino, Juana, and Coyotito set out for the capital. Skirting the town, they travel north until sunrise and then take covert shelter by the roadside. They sleep for most of the day and are preparing to set out again when Kino discovers that three trackers are following them. After hesitating briefly, Kino decides that they must hurry up the mountain, in hopes of eluding the trackers. A breathless ascent brings them to a water source, where they rest and take shelter in a nearby cave. Kino attempts to mislead the trackers by creating a false trail up the mountain. Kino, Juana, and Coyotito then hide in the cave and wait for an opportunity to escape back down the mountain.
The trackers are slow in their pursuit and finally arrive at the watering hole at dusk. They make camp nearby, and two of the trackers sleep while the third stands watch. Kino decides that he must attempt to attack them before the late moon rises. He strips naked to avoid being seen and sneaks up to striking distance. Just as Kino prepares to attack, Coyotito lets out a cry, waking the sleepers. When one of them fires his rifle in the direction of the cry, Kino makes his move, killing the trackers in a violent fury. In the aftermath, Kino slowly realizes that the rifle shot struck and killed his son in the cave.
The next day, Kino and Juana make their way back through town and the outlying brush houses. Juana carries her dead son slung over her shoulder. They walk all the way to the sea, as onlookers watch in silent fascination. At the shore, Kino pulls the pearl out of his clothing and takes one last, hard look at it. Then, with all his might, under a setting sun, he flings the pearl back into the sea.
The irony is the pearl used to buy a cure for Coyotito was eventually the cause of his death.
Characters in "The Pearl"
Kino, a poor diver who makes his living searching for pearls. His character is one with a great deal of pride and stubbornness. This ultimately leads to the downfall of not only him, but his entire family. His common sense is blinded by his desire for his family to rise above their current social and monetary status of being “poor.” While this is a noble ambition, his goal is obscured by the possibility of more and by his new found paranoia about the people around him, including his family.
Juana, Kino's wife, serves as a contrast to Kino himself. She is thoughtful and is adept at seeing the warning signs that Kino refuses to acknowledge. Although she can see these signs, she is unable to take a true dominate position in the relationship because of her ingrained subordination.
Coyotito, the son of Kino and Juana, is just an infant, unaware of the world. During the novella, he is stung by a scorpion and in desperate need of the local doctor’s help. However, this is not easily obtainable.
Juan Tómas, the brother to Kino is consistently loyal to his family. One can see his concern for Kino and his pearl. Even though Kino refuses to listen to his concerns, Juan still agrees to help him escape from the people who are after him.
Doctor is known simply as “the doctor”. He is portrayed as a man who many would say is lacking in moral values. He bluntly refuses to help the Kino family due to the fact that they are Indians, not worthy of helping unless they had the money to compensate for their race. His interest in the family only occurs after he hears of Kino’s find.
Major themes
One of the many motifs of this novella is the idea that one’s longing for money and/or power will corrupt all that is good or pure in their lives. The doctor is an obvious example of this. His desire for money keeps him from doing his civil duty. When one thinks of a doctor, he or she often thinks of someone who is looking out for mankind, someone who wants to help heal people. The doctor in this novella serves as a direct contrast to this idea.
“‘Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a veterinary.’… ‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have any money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing—and I’m tired of it. See if he has any money.’”
- Steinbeck, John(1992). The Pearl New York: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1 edition (April 6, 2000 ISBN 014017737X. pp 11.
The doctor agrees to help the Kino family once he learns of the pearl the Kino found. Even then, his intentions are far from pure. While at the house with Kino, he is intently watching to see if he can figure out were the pearl is in order to steal it from the family. Steinbeck uses the doctor’s not so subtle obsession with money to show just how corruptible money truly is.
Another man who people would think of as righteous and good is the priest. In this novella, Steinbeck makes it clear that the priest is also to serve as a contrast to what one would consider the norm. The priest even goes as far as to say that he refers to the Indians as “children”, not children of God as one would expect, but juveniles who need to be talked down to. The pearl is the reason for his appearance to the Kino residence. One can see that his intentions are not as pure as he tries to make them appear. Throughout the novella, Kino is constantly hearing different songs in his head; these songs serve as warning to him. However, he often cannot put the meaning behind them together, such as with the priest.
“The music had gone out of Kino’s head, but now, thinly, slowly, the melody of the morning, the music of evil, of the enemy sounded, but it was faint and weak…the evil song was in his hears, shrilling against the music of the pearl."
- Ibid pp 27-28
Kino looks around suspiciously for the bearer of this song, but is unable to relate it to the priest, for the song began when the priest arrived and got unbearably loud when the priest saw the pearl. The priest’s greed was what caused the song to be resonating in Kino’s mind.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The movie, La perla, set in Mexico and closely following Steinback's storyline, was adapted by Emilio Fernández, John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner from the novella and stars Pedro Armendáriz and María Elena Marqués. It was directed by Fernández.